Morning all. Got a few things for you today…..
First, my weekly talk. Recorded this one last night while attending some meetings in New Orleans. As I try to do each week I tried to take a step back from the crush of news to evaluate where we are in the fight for freedom and democracy, and against MAGA and Trumpism/Putinism. Here’s this week’s assessment:
Trump is an irredeemable failure, a historic betrayer of this great country, an addled and arrogant old man who should be removed from office; or at the very least our leaders must now mount a major effort to wrest power away from him and force a national course correction along the lines of our agenda, below. Our current path is unsustainable and we cannot wait until January of next year to find a new and better path.
This war in the Middle East is the greatest mistake by an American President in our history. We’ve come out of it far weaker, and Iran far stronger. Our discourse is only just beginning to acknowledge the magnitude of the geopolitical and economic disaster this one man, lawlessly and recklessly, acting without Congress and our allies, has caused. For we now in a global crisis, one that America cannot lead us from for the crisis is us, it is Trump, and his quisling enablers in Congress and the Supreme Court.
We continue to see extraordinary performances by our candidates in special and state/local elections all across the country. Our main encouraging performances were in Georgia and Wisconsin this week, though we are starting to learn of other wins in local races in additional states. The wind is at our back as we soon head into the general election.
Republican 2026 campaign strategists have come to recognize that the fall out from the war has put their majorities in both chambers in jeopardy, and have announced two big campaigns - a Trump lead effort starting in May, and a fall campaign led by the Senate Republican SuperPAC. My assumption is the House Republican SuperPAC will soon announce their fall campaign, and combined these three efforts could amount to $1 billion in total, an extraordinary sum of money in a mid-term election. That they are committing this much money, and starting the first campaign so early (in May), shows how much trouble they understand themselves to be in. It also tells us that the real election, when the ads starting flying, begins in a few weeks not in a few months. The 2026 general election is here now, and we need to help our candidates and party committees prepare for what is going to be a savage battle with a failing and desperate Republican Party. Winning these mid-terms by the biggest margin possible is job one for all of us now.
That’s what we talked about last night. Get to it when you can. Yesterday’s post also provides helpful context:
Next up, let’s review some of the economic data we are seeing this morning.
Gas prices in the US continue to rise:
After falling yesterday, Brent crude prices are rising today, and have almost already returned to $100 a barrel:
Today’s inflation report, the Personal Consumption Index (PCE), even though it had delayed data from pre-war February still came in way too hot at 0.4 for both headline and core. Here are the trend lines for core PCE, inflation without food and energy, the Fed’s favorite inflation gauge:
And here we can see the impact of the tariffs a bit more clearly. This gauge of inflation, the one preferred by the Fed in setting interest rates, has been running almost 50% higher since the introduction of Trump’s tariffs, and way, way above the Fed target:
That inflation was running so hot prior to the war makes what Trump has done even more reckless, irresponsible, and irredeemable.
We have two important events tonight:
……..We are joining forces with our friends at Network NOVA to do two nights of phonebanking to drive our vote in the Vote Yes campaign in Virginia:
Tonight, April 9, 530-8pm - Register here.
Thursday, April 16, 530-8pm - Register here.
I will be kicking off both events and hanging around for a while to greet folks and thank everyone. Training will be provided for those who need it.
This statewide ballot initiative takes place on Tue, April 21st - so need the Hopium community to rally now, as you always do! Sign up for a shift today, bring friends, promote this through your networks. Let’s close strong in Virginia and bring this baby home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Our second event is at 7pm in Bethesda, Maryland as I will be joining our good friends at the Women’s Democratic Club of Montgomery County for a deep dive on our current moment. You can register here. Bring friends and colleagues, spread this through your networks. Going to be a lot of fun, and I am excited to be able to see members of this remarkable community in person tonight!
Finally, it’s time for us……
To Get To Work People!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Winning The Midterms, Competing In Red States and Red Places, Expanding The Map
Hopium’s Winning The House Campaign (2026) - $555,000 raised, $500,000 - Donate to all twelve of our endorsed House challengers with one click | Enjoy our new conversations with Jamie Ager (NC-11), Christina Bohannan (IA-01), Mayor Paige Cognetti (PA-08), Sean McCann (MI-04), Jo Mendoza (AZ-06), and Janelle Stelson (PA-10) | Learn about the eight candidates we just added to our campaign here.
Huge shout-out to the team at FridayAction. Our recent event together has now raised $97,000 for our House candidates - amazing, amazing stuff! That total is included in our new amazing total, as is the money given to each individual House candidate in recent weeks.
James Talarico For Texas - $55,300 raised, $250,000 - Donate | Volunteer and Learn More | Enjoy my inspiring interview with Rep. Talarico as he fights to turn Texas blue
Mary Peltola For Alaska Senate - $80,700 raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | Volunteer and Learn More | Enjoy my uplifting conversation with Mary Peltola as she fights to turn Alaska blue
Winning Ohio - $116,900 raised, $250,000 goal - Our new campaign splits contributions evenly among Sherrod Brown, the Acton/Pepper ticket, and the Ohio Democratic Party. Donate today and help us turn this critical 2026 battleground blue! This total includes $21,00 sent by a Hopium community member directly to each of our three Buckeye State partners!
Roy Cooper for NC Senate (2026) - $102,900 raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Enjoy my conversation with Gov. Cooper as he fights to turn North Carolina blue
Jon Ossoff GA Senate (2026) - $164,800 raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Enjoy my inspiring conversation with Senator Ossoff
Hopium’s Audacious Expansion Fund - $511,100 raised, $500,000 goal (new stretch goal) - Join our campaign that has helped expand our map by investing in the Democratic Parties of Alaska, Florida, Iowa, Maine, and Texas, and catch interviews with 5 intrepid state party chairs leading us into battle this year.
Many thanks to two generous Hopium community members who have audaciously donated $20,000 to each of our five state parties over the past two years.
Advocate For The Hopium Agenda/Pass Resolutions Of Condemnation In Your Community
There are a few more ways to go to work in the coming days - call your leaders and advocate for elements of our working, ever evolving Hopium Agenda; bring resolutions that condemn our Mad King and lets facts be spoken to a candid world to your state or local government.
Here’s our working Hopium Post-Iran Disaster Agenda:
Work To End This New Gulf War, And Trump’s Global Imperial Ambitions
Make Clear We Support Ukraine and Europe, Not Russia
Roll Back The New, Illegal Tariffs
Rescind The Trump Tax Cuts, Claw Back The Extra ICE Funding
Make The US A Clean Energy Superpower, Fight For True Energy Independence, And Lower Energy Prices For The American People
Keep Fighting To Rein In ICE, End Mass Deportation
End the War on Science, Health and Public Health
Make Clear To American Farmers That We Want To End The War, Repeal The Tariffs, Find Legal Pathways For Farm Workers, And Make Health Care And Energy More Affordable
This week our calls should clearly focus on reining in the illegal war in the Middle East and ICE here at home, and rescinding the tariffs that are doing so much damage to our economy.
And please use the paid subscriber chat to self-report the good trouble you make each day.
Keep working hard all. We have a country to save and an election to win, together - Simon
